The Movie: Phantom of the Opera (1925)
What Is It?: The
first true American horror film that looks like a full-blown, Hollywood
production, trumpeting a cast of thousands and exquisite costumes and sets,
particularly the Phantom’s underground labyrinth. As familiar as stills of Lon
Chaney's face as Erik the Phantom are, the uninitiated may be surprised by how
truly scary that puss is when moving on the screen. Here the Universal era and
the golden age of horror begins.
Why Today?: On this day in 1909, the serialized publication of Gaston
Leroux’s novel begins in Le Gaulois.
